This past Saturday was spring skiing at its absolute finest. The snow was soft, slushy – exactly what you want when the sun is out, the jackets are off, and the beer is on ice. Which it was.

I felt as though I was at someone’s backyard party, complete with an outdoor bbq. With a fantastic ski resort thrown in. The spring vibe was everywhere, t-shirts, sunglasses, and the wide grins of those who know they made the right decision.

I quickly met up with a great group of guys who were kind enough to let me tag along. We immediately hit Freefall which, yes at the top was a bit thin (thank you John for discovering the first line not to take, i.e. the first rock). Once we found our way down twenty or so yards, skier’s left transitioned out into perfectly spaced, soft bumps.

Freefall has such a nice pitch, you could hit them hard, cutting up a wall of snow, or light, quickly bouncing from one to the next. I found myself wanting to cut hard, though the trenches, because digging into soft spring snow is so damn satisfying.

From there it was Plunge, North Face, Upper Face, and eventually, Bumps to Blockbuster… Block was my favorite as it was smooth with about three inches of soft hero-like snow. Being able to lay down carves on that steep of a pitch…. yesssss.

The kind snow that makes you want to play, to goof off. To ski a little faster, to maybe jump a little bigger.

It is a party after all.

Everywhere I looked people were jibbing, carving, slarving….skiing with an almost frantic enthusiasm, desperate to eke out every last second of what has been an incredible season.

Afterward – basking on the sunlit desk, toasting PBRs, and soaking up every last moment.

Opening weekend at Plattekill, and this past Sunday, I finally made it out. Descending onto Meeker Hollow Road, I was welcomed by a bright, clear morning. Snow still clung to the windswept fields, and to every branch shouldering the road. The conditions seemed great.

Gearing up in the lodge, sunlight beamed in through the massive windows, lighting up the empty bar. There was only a handful of us – quickly getting ready, nodding to one another, eager to kick off a new season.

Finally out, I rode the triple thinking of a first run on Upper Face. They were blowing snow on the side (skier’s left) and there seemed to be good untracked lines along the tree line although there would be some maneuvering through the whales under the guns. I love riding these, before they ice up. These were nicely spaced and created a chute near the trees.

Being newly gunned, the snow was a little heavy, but the pitch was steep enough to push through it (with tight turns, staying forward and square to the fall line.) Once backseat I nearly ate it - that’ll wake you right up when you are so close to the trees/guns.

Halfway down I heard someone behind and I pulled to the side. A woman whished past, absolutely killing it. Effortless turns, absorption, completely fluid. As if she were carving perfect corduroy and not the chopped, bumped-up, completely UN-smooth UN-forgiving line we were on.

Impressed, I nodded to her. “Beautiful,” she said, grinning.

Yeah. That’s what it is.

On a groomer, in the trees, picking your way down the side of a trail between six-foot rollers, there are always opportunities (if you choose) for Plattekill to challenge, to push you.

Legs burning, I hit the lodge to warm up. And, in what seems to be commonplace at Plattekill - I recognized someone. A man was sitting up with his two young daughters a few tables away. I remembered him from the trail-clearing crew. He introduced himself as Brian, and his two daughters, Ava and Lia.

All three wore the cheerful, wind-nipped faces of a family who had already put in plenty of turns that day. We chatted for a while, and they invited me to take some runs with them. John and his family live in north NJ and rent a place near the mountain every winter, for years they’ve spent their weekends at Plattekill. He told me he wanted his daughters to continue to learn on this mountain, because it constantly challenged them, made them learn to handle any conditions.

From the way they slayed every run I took with them, their dedication to Plattekill paid off. We eventually hit Upper Face, and I barely kept up with them. They even managed a few jumps off the rollers.

When we met at the bottom Brian called out to the man running the lift, “Bob, how’s it going?”

As promised, I’ve been digging around in the past to get pumped for the season. Platty’s opening day is in sight–it’s October, we’ve got a frost warning, THE PLATTEPALOOZA FALL FESTIVAL is around the corner, and I’ve swapped Summer Ale for IPA.

It’s time.

My 80’s my wish list would have included (besides a time-traveling DeLorean) the chance to meet my ski idols: Scot Schmidt, my Idaho girl Picabo Street, and obviously Glen Plake. I remember first watching The Blizzard of Aaahhs and how blown away I was by Schmidt & Plake’s daring, their ridiculous inventiveness.

Maybe since the technology of that era wasn’t evolving as quickly as they were (most everyone was on the same “shape” of ski) the athletes were forced to develop individual styles in order to evolve. People didn’t have powder skis for deep days, carvers for groomers, twin tips for jibbing. They had skis. There were differences in materials, construction, and price point. But the basic shapes were arguably the same.

And they skied them in ALL conditions.

Although I’d never swap my modern skis for the long straight Rossi’s of the 80s, I’m glad I DID learn on them. Among other things, they taught me to maintain balance in mogul skiing and nasty, cut-up crud. And to appreciate today’s skis that much more.

So yeah, a BIG shout out to snowboarding.

I mean, come on—Schmidt dropped into the vertical extremities of the Alaskan Chugachs, Street crushed the super G at Nagano.

On these:

Jason Levinthal, founder of J Skis, just released the HOT DOGGER a total nod to 80’s flash and dash. And I get it—the retro vibe. The loud, garish, IN YOUR FACE ATTITUDE of it, proclaiming—THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOTHING BETTER THAN SHREDDING THE MOUNTAIN.

For this season at Platty, let’s embrace the raw, hardcore days of launching into Blockbuster, Plunge, or Freefall on a pair of K2 Extreme 207s, sporting Bollés, an eye-popping neon jacket, a wind-scoured face–and a giant, toothy grin.

Winter is coming. Bad for the people of Westeros. But, (and please excuse me geeking out over Game of Thrones)—thank R’HLLOR. (Again, apologies…but the season only ended a few weeks back, I haven’t fully recovered.)

Okay, so yes—Summer. You had your place. You will always have your place. But even the best beaches, trails and Mojitos just don’t feed my soul like those first turns on SNOW.

And…here we are. Summer is winding down—packing its bags, looking under the bed, the mattress; making certain the closets are cleared out—finally preparing to check out.

I, for one, am ready to move on. Fall is emerging…bringing the promise of cool nights, crisp apples, inching us ever closer to a Plattekill winter.

I’ve been dreaming about skiing for the past three (six?) months. At least once a week it seems. For me, it really never goes away. Always there, like a Golden Retriever running alongside, stick in mouth, reminding you that there is sooo much FUN to be had, if you’ll just shelve this daily grind and FOLLOW ME INTO THE MOUNTAINS!

That voice in the back of your head…causing that weekly (daily?) click on winter videos, pictures, gear sales, all things NOT work-related.

Recently I was at a yard sale (an “actual” one, not created whilst tomahawking down a one too many steeps) and found a 1975 ski poster by Lou Zansky called simply: ON THE SLOPES.

I don’t know what it was about this picture. There are more ski–related graphics than is worth mentioning in any retailer, website, or dorm room. But this one stuck.

Maybe it was how it perfectly captured the 70’s vibe—skis long, straight, planky. Knees locked together, pivoting from the hips—a style that truly was, well, STYLISH.

I grew up skiing in Southeast Idaho, my home mountain was Pebble Creek (just a bit south of Pocatello, for anyone familiar with the area). It was such a cool, unsullied mountain. And VERY steep. I say unsullied (no this is NOT a purposeful GoT reference), because it was a local’s mountain. EVERYONE knew EVERYONE, from the folks running the lifts to the Patrollers to the kitchen staff.

Maybe because it was remote, or because of its smaller size compared to other Idaho/Utah resorts (located just a few hours from Salt Lake), it instilled a tremendous loyalty from us. And gave in return. A place that valued its own, and from this grew a true local culture.

I am sure that any mountain will claim this, and I am sure that to some degree, they all have it. But in all the years I’ve been skiing, Plattekill is the only place that has given me that same “feel.” of where I grew up. The feel of a true HOME mountain. And yeah, it’s the people. (More on that throughout the season).

I’m new to Platty. I’ve lived in the Catskills for the past 8 years after being in NYC since 2001. And I don’t pretend to know the mountain, or the culture, like any of you. But I am thrilled and honored to share my perspective as a newcomer, and I want to share what I see on the hill and spread my excitement about it to as many as I can—while of course preserving short lift lines.

And now, back to that poster.

I was thinking of celebrating the Old School in the run-up to the season. Jen and I are going to exploring the past to get excited about the very-near future—the “keeping it real” of ski history that is Platty’s feel and vibe. We will be posting classic ski videos and images to get you all primed for the new season.

If you’re cool with it, please hang with us while we dig around in the garage a little bit. In the meantime—I keep it real below: Me at 16. I’m the one in the pink goggles. Indeed.

This year for the Platty blog, there are two of us—Isaac is joining me. He grew up skiing in Idaho (more about that in his first post, coming soon). We met on the triple [chair lift], on Isaac’s first run at the mountain.

Platty’s lifts are great for such things; some of my best friendships have been formed on the double, and Isaac—no different. It was his first time at the hill, and I offered to show him around. It was also clear he could rip. Of course, he can. He grew up in the aforementioned Idaho—also he doesn’t seem to complain about skiing the East…

Talking to him after that first run, his eyes grew wide, and he could see a future of skiing in the Catskills with no lift lines, no people fighting in a lift line, or getting impatient—and also, better snow. That is the promise of Platty—to keep it real, to bring back the old school vibe of skiing, and I saw the same joy I’ve seen in countless others have at the hill. It’s the way someone recounts their first visit to the mountain as if it were the promised land. And, Isaac is also a writer. So now it’s the two of us telling you why we love it here and reporting from the hill. Also he’s braver in the trees than I and a way better skier…

It is also that time of year when I start dreaming of skiing. Actually I start in July, and I think Isaac never stops. I have two classic dreams: skiing puffy powdery bumps on Block (I’m a master in the dream in a way I never am in real life), and then strangely, skiing down a sand dune (it’s a dream after all), like I did once in Qatar. And here a shot of Platty’s opening day last year:

Now as the nights dip down into the 40s this week, it’s also time to get season tickets, check the long-range forecasts for winter (good & cold), and tune up the gear. I will be spending this weekend with a girlfriend, sharpening my skis and watching ski videos. (Her kid has just returned from racing camp in Europe…)

Stella, I love you. Really what else is there to say? There might also be thanks to Laszlo and Macker and the snowmakers for making snow last weekend long after other ski hills have stopped in the run-up to the storm. But, really all there is to say is: Yes! And then list the numbers like: 36 (that is inches…as in, 3 feet). And then there are more, new numbers like 3 or 4…of snow that keeps accumulating (as in feet, not inches, but once you make three feet, who’s to quibble?).

Or, perhaps the proof is in the pictures (or really their absence). The snow was too good to stop and pull out a camera or even a phone. So instead I’ll send you to NY Ski Blog to see Harvey Road’s post. (He always stops for pictures and was riding a fine line through the trees when I last saw him on Wednesday’s Powder Daize).

So to summarize, the snow was too good to describe—too great to stop for photos. Maybe you can imagine the whoops heard from happy skiers going down the hill (they translate to “Stella, I love you!”). And for a small bit of etymology, “Stella” means star in Latin, and every flake of snow does have a tiny bit of cosmic stardust in it. So we can thank our lucky stars (or our Lucky Stellas, and maybe raise a glass of Stella to our storm in the bar afterwards).

The hill is covered top to bottom: Plunge, Blockbuster, Northface...all in deep white. It’s the first time snowmaking on all the runs has happened by Jan 15! And witness these photos (and video) just to show you how much.

The snowmakers—“Snow Cowboys,” as Platty’s Head of Operations, Macker (also in some of these photos), calls them—have been hard at work. Long days, long nights, and bless Mother Nature too, for keeping it cold. And while this week has been a bit warm, Plattekill has the advantage as a weekend-only hill, so grooming won't ruin that snow. It won't turn it into boiler plate.

In short and we’ve written about this before: If it rains, don’t groom. The water will run through the snow all on its own and not turn to ice. Groom after the rain is done falling. This is something other hills—those open 7 days-a-week—don’t have the luxury to do. But Platty can promise good terrain and conditions for the weekend.

December 21 marked the first day of Winter and we couldn't be happier. If our opening day (December 17) was any indication, it looks like we're in for a great season! We received an awesome foot of fresh powder, allowing our guests to take full advantage of the whole mountain—it's been quite a while since we were open 100% on DAY ONE!

Even though the next day's weather was rainy, we have been fortunate to have low temps since, which means our snow guns have been blasting 24/7 to gear up for our Holiday Week! Plattekill will open at least 7 trails on Saturday, December 24. We will close on December 25 but then we'll open the slopes and snowtubing park again from December 26 - January 2 for Holiday Week!

Most of our beginner trails and several blue runs are ready to open, and we even have some more difficult areas for those of you who are ready to get right into it. And after you’re all worn out from a long day of carving or shredding, don’t forget to join us for some après–ski live music in the lodge Saturday nights! Also, on December 28, there will be a film screening of Warren Miller's "Here, There & Everywhere" will be shown at the Union Grove Distillery. Here's a toast to a snowy 2017!

Click here to keep an eye on the weather and check out our trail report here.

Ski resorts, by nature, are known for their winter activities and events. Did you know that there is just as much activity happening at these resorts during the summer months? Plattekill Mountain, in Roxbury, NY, is no exception in taking on a secret identity in the warmer months, while still “keeping it real”.

The sun is shining, the flora is evergreen, and everything: music, skyrides, mountain bikes and beer – flow freely. There’s a whole schedule of events and things to do at Plattekill during this time of year.

The first NY Outdoor Expo happened in early July with much success and plans for another event in 2017 are already in the works. Their “Music on the Mountain” Concert Series, an annual event, is now in its 4th year where free concerts are offered the first Saturday of every month June through September. This year will also mark the 7th annual Plattepalooza Family Fall Festival over the Columbus Day holiday on Saturday, October 8th with pumpkin and face painting, s’more roasting, magician, local vendors, scenic skyrides, fall fare, live music plus much more.

Next up on the Plattekill Mountain Calendar of Events, “Music on the Mountain” Concert #3 on August 6th with the “Meeker Hollow String Band” from 4pm-7pm featuring bluegrass, new grass and everything in between. Plattekill is also offering a New England Style Clambake as a dinner special that night, keeping in the spirit of the Summer season. Be sure to come early as they sold out last year.

The activities don’t stop there. Plattekill is now offering Glamping - derived from the combination of two words: glamorous and camping – safari tent accommodations in a secluded location on the mountain. It’s camping without all the preparations. Accommodations are perfect for special events (on-site weddings, concert nights) or just to get away from it all without all the fanfare of planning a camping trip. This means, the tent is already up when you arrive, the bed is in place, the Adirondack chairs are on the deck just outside the tent, and the fire pit just needs wood.

Plattekill also has the unique quality of being the only area mountain available for rent. Yes, you can rent the mountain mid-week year round. During the summer, the 640 mountainous acres and rustic Catskill Mountain lodge can be rented for summer camps, family reunions, retreats, TV/movie productions, business meetings, team-building outings or whatever you think you can conjure up.

A lack of things to do is typically not an issue at Plattekill Mountain in Roxbury, NY with the mountain now open for summertime activities. Offering lift-served mountain biking, hiking and scenic chairlift rides and bike rentals every weekend.

Want a great Catskill Mountain Biking experience? Guests can choose from a variety of packages with all you’ll need to for a day out on the trails (bike rentals, gear, ticket and guided tour) and they also offer a “Rise & Shine Package” which offers it all in a short 2-hour session both Saturday and Sunday mornings.

However, that’s not all you’ll find at Plattekill this summer. Their “Music on the Mountain” Free Concert Series is back for a third season and it has been expanded for 2016. The series will feature four concerts this summer taking place the first Saturday of every month. Starting June 4th a local favorite, Blues Maneuver Band, will kick off the series with rhythm, blues and funk. Each month a different genre will be offered along with different dinner specials on concert nights. All concerts are free to the public and chairlift rides will also be open during those evenings until 7pm.

Also new to the mix this year, the mountain will featuring the first ever “NY Outdoor Expo '16” on July 9th with the opportunity to feed your passion for the great outdoors. This event will feature hands on activities from guided hikes and kayaking to fly fishing and s’mores roasting. An exclusive Guided Mountain Overnight Camping Package will also be offered for enthusiasts. Activities also feature scheduled demonstrations, exhibits, vendors and more.

Plattekill has also become a very popular destination for Mountaintop Wedding Ceremonies. Panoramic mountaintop views and an exclusive setting come with all packages with receptions for up to 150 people. Best part is the mountain is entirely yours for the day and the only activity on the mountain that day is you and your guests.

For more information on Plattekill and all their offerings visit plattekill.com. Plattekill is open every weekend from 10am-5pm.